Production of extracellular carbohydrates by the diatom, Cylindrotheca Fusiformis Reimann and Lewin var. Fusiformis

Young, Kwan-shong (1968) Production of extracellular carbohydrates by the diatom, Cylindrotheca Fusiformis Reimann and Lewin var. Fusiformis. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The production of extracellular carbohydrate has been studied in the diatom, Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann & Lewin var. fusiformis, in bacteria-free culture. The concentration of extracellular carbohydrates was found to increase as the light intensity was decreased. An increase was also observed in connection with nitrogen-deficient cultures. Experiments indicated that extracellular carbohydrate production did not parallel the growth of the diatom. Higher levels of carbohydrate production were found during the early stages of growth and during the post-exponential phases. Carbohydrate production drop to a low level during the exponential phase of growth. The carbohydrates identified by thin layer chromatography were found to be the low molecular weight compounds: glucose, galactose, arabinose, xylose and galacturonic acid. It is suggested that the production of most of the extracellular carbohydrate may possibly be due to diffusion and to passive release from dead cells.

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